Ludicrous Speed: Seraphon Saurus Warriors

"The more we study our inner light, the more profound becomes the outer darkness"
Lord Xltep

   Recently I and one of my oldest friends decided to start a long gaming campaign using the rules included in the GW's General's Handbook for AoS. The armies involved are Ironjawz (my side) and Seraphon (his side). Despite the love for modeling he's brutally lazy at painting so I thought to help him by spending a painting day together, where we'd see how to make striking models in the shortest possible time.

   The unit chosen to be painted during just one day of working will be 10 Saurus Warriors. We are really satisfied of the final result, especially considering that we spent only 7 hours painting them!

PART 1: Scales, Skin and Shields.

   We primed the models in black, then we started painting the full main body in dark blue (using Macrrage Blue). Don't be afraid in this step: you can slap all the models in blue. I suggest to use a bit of water and give the piece a solid coat, covering any corners of the body. The second thing to do is shading: we used a blue ink (Drakenhof Nightshade) all over the model.

   After the shade got completely dry we started drybrushing the main body. Steps were:

1) Macrrage Blue all over; just avoid the recesses
2) Caledor Sky (a solid blue but with lighter tone than the previous), this time you have to drybrush all the model but leaving the first blue to be seen, so don't press too much and be sure the brush is very dry.
3) Lothern Blue (first highlight tone); all the scales and the spines and the edge of the head, avoiding the skin (underbelly, arms and legs ecc). Very gently: only the edge of the scales has to be painted this way.
4) Temple Guard Blue (second highlight tone): some scale spots, the head's edges, and all the spines.  With "some spots" I mean, for example, the shoulders.
5) Skink Blue (third highlight tone): VERY little amount of that around, just where you think you needed and on the head's edges and all the spines.
6) Ulthuan Grey (final highlight): on the spines and the head's edges in the same way expalined above.

   Then it's time for the underbelly and skin in general (hands, legs ecc), we used drybrush again and the steps were:

1) Hoeth Blue (to brighten up): on all the underbelly and all the spots of skin
2) Etherium Blue (to brighten up again): just on the underbelly and a very small amount on the arms, fingers ecc.

   Shields. The shields must be striking we said; on the tabletop everyone should looking at those shields. Ok let's try to make an even brighter tone than the skin for the shields, but in green this time. I mean.. I would like to have a natural AND striking tone for that green; it's very easy use green in a spectacular way with artificial tones and shades.

   Using same techniques above (basing, shading, drybrushing), the steps were:

1) Caliban Green: this is just the base, like the first blue we used for the main body.

2) Coelia Greenshade to wash the shield. Be careful of the amount of shade, don't need too much or you can mess the model up.

3) Caliban green again (first drybrush): you can cover all the shields with this, avoiding only the recesses.

4) Warpstone Glow (first highlight); you have to use this dry brush and the second one really dry... I mean dry the brush at his limit and go on drybrushing for a longer time. 

5) Niblet Green (second highlight): same as above but smaller amount.

6) Hellion green (final highlight).

PART 2: Bones, Gold, Spines and Back.

   We wanted to paint the models at Ludicrous Speed but we still would like to have something peculiar on them. So we decided to give greater depth to the back of the warrriors.... but first of all bone and gold. We are leaving drybrush for some time now and adopt other techniques, such as layering.

1) Balthasar Gold (just base all the metals you can see and find!)

2) Agrax Earthshade (dark brown wash)

3) Gehenna Gold (first and unique layer for all the metals): use this color to tide up and brighten up the gold, now darker because of the shade. Leave some recesses and spots without the layer just to give the model more complexity, and always use water when you layer something.

   For the bones layering will be a bit more complex, but the steps are the same:

1) Zandri Dust as a basecoat
2) Ushabti Bone (first layer): with a greater quantity of water start layering all the bones part with fast strokes: be careful not to cover the entire zone.
3) Screaming Skull (second layer), essentially do the the same as above.

   For the back and the spine we decided to use a not usual technique, using shades to darken the tone of the scales and subsequently putting some very bright drybrush near to obtain a contrast. 

1) Agrax Earthshade: little amount on a fine brush, to be applied just at the base of the spines. Two passages.

2) Temple Guard Blue (drybrush): just around the darkened zone.

3) Ulthuan grey (dry or layer as your choice): let the spines become really bright.

PART 3: Eyes, Feathers, Bases and Conclusion

   Most of the model is done at this time but the few things missing will help us to exploit all the rest of the job we're already did. For the eyes I used a very fast way of just two passages.

1) Pallid Wych Flesh: with the smallest brush you have.

2) Thunderhawk Blue: the same brush just under the eye

   Feathers will be painted in violet and shade, right this way:

1) Naggaroth Night (basecoat)

2) Druchii Violet as a wash

3) Genestealer purple (drybrush) as a first highlight

4) Lucius Liliac (drybrush) as a second highlight, just on the top of the feathers.

   The bases are made with the GW technical "Martian Ironearth", 'cause we wanted a very effective contrast in a fast way.

1) Martian Ironearth (technical): apply a medium quantity of the color on the base... the color has to remain thick.

After 1 hour you'll see the cracks appears on the ground and you'll can go on drybrushing

2) Kindleflame (drybrush)

3) Karak stone in the same manner.

   In conclusion we added some Steel legion drab around the base and few dry tufts 

   ... And finally, we started at 11 am and finish for 7 pm having just a short lunch break, in just 7 hours, we've got a 10-men squad ready to kick asses on the table top!

Cheers!